Phobophobia
by YukiYukiDayoNe
Summary: You're trapped in a white room. Fun times, huh? Nice to meet you, I am the Author. And I over see the trials of these special test subjects. You'll be following Yami Sennen, a neet with not much special. I hope you enjoy Phobophobia! ( Slow shipping and definite AU and OOC)
1. Rules :

Hello.

Welcome , to Phobaphobia.

This is a story that I will be writing.

You may call me, the ' Author '.

Of course, there are several ways that the reader involve themselves.

But that's another topic for another day.

Here is how I will be doing this.

Each subject represents a phobia.

Common phobias and some uncomon ones.

This is for my personal enjoyment only. Not the enjoyment of my test subjects.

I will base every chapter on a new fear, and the description will be added at the beginning or end of the chapter.

I'll do whatever I feel like.

Each chapter is a new scenario. Rooms get better and better the more the characters progress, so let's hope I don't get bored and die before they even make it out ~

I am the narrator, the story, the all.

And I'm signing off,

Now sit back and enjoy,

Phobaphobia.

Updates whenever I feel like it too, after all.. I am the ' Author'.

-Signed, The Author


	2. Gelotophobia

"" Gelotophobiais afearof being laughed at, a type ofsocial phobia. While most people do not like being laughed at,there is a sub-group of people that exceedingly fear it, and without obvious reasons, they relate laughter they hear to be directed at themselves""

' huh... Where.. Am I..? '

The boy's eyes opened. He was sitting on the cold, hard floor of a clean, white, cubic room. The boy peered around the room, not remembering ever leaving his room.

' where..'

As though by instinct, the boy avoided looking at the other people present.

His crimson eyes darted across the room.

' Its okay, Yami, be strong... You're fine..'

He thought to himself.

This young fellas name is Yami. No matter how distracting his spiky hair is, you'll be seeing him a lot.

After all, he is the main character.

Well, not the only one, but the main none the less.

He brushed his hand over his forehead and mumbled under his breath.

' It appears I'm in a room. Not mine though..'

Yami sighed as he thought. The room was white. Pure white.

2,499 by 2,499 Square feet. I only did that to spark someone's ocd. Thank me later - after all, it took me days to build that room.

Well... Maybe not days..

A person came into Yami's view. A blonde who had an aura around him that screamed ' idiot'. Yami looked away quickly and waited for him to leave, which he didn't.

" Hey! You're awake!" the blonde smiled, holding his hand out to Yami, who declined it.

" You OK?" he peered over to match Yami's gaze. " that other kid hasn't woken up yet, I'm really worried."

Yami didn't speak, he cautiously shuffled backwards, not looking at the person.

" I'm Jounouchi! What's your name?"

Yami was kind of pissed off, asking himself if ' Jounouchi' could read the mood or not? He stared at the snow White ground and mumbled;

"Yami... Sennen Yami..."

His voice, though soft, had a strange firmness to it that no one could put their finger on.

Jounouchi chuckled

" Nice to meet ya"

Yami stopped. He twitched a bit and bit onto his lip.

Jounouchi started asking if Yami was okay, which he was not. His mind was darting all over the place, he couldn't think or concentrate..

Or anything, really.

He heard the footsteps of someone else. The red, spherical object in the other person's hands were the first thing he saw in his peripheral vision.

" Shh.."

The person crouched down, still clutching the red sphere, which Yami noticed to be a motorcycle helmet.

The boy had beautiful amethysts for eyes, they were soft and gentle, like an angels. His skin was fair and pale and appeared to be delicate to the touch. His hair was similar to Yami's, uncontrollable spikes at the back and a set of beautiful golden bangs that framed his face. His hair looked soft and perfect, as if he'd brushed it so much it turned softer than the most expensive velvet. He looked so innocent and the complete opposite to the blonde, who was busy declaring his worry about the boy.

He felt the boys prescence to be so calming.

Yami calmed down and, as Jounouchi introduced himself, Yami got to hear the name of the person he just paid a lot of attention to.

"Yugi..."

Yami spaced out, not listening to the bumbling idiot talk about himself like as if it were the introductions in Britain's got talent. No matter how perfect Yugi was, Yami just couldn't help but bring his thoughts to the question of ; 'What if? '

' What if he laughs...'

' What if he taunts...'

' What if he lies...'

It's that kind of mindset that drives you to not trust anyone, but Yami just could not not think like that. He tucked his knees in so his chin rested on them and tried to speak.

" What.. Are we doing here...??"

His voice was quiet, the complete opposite of the confident voice that he would have on game chats. Yami felt himself shrink at every second that he spent near the two people.

He wanted to be in his room. He wanted his blankets; and games; and small, pointless gadgets.

" I dunno!" Jounouchi carelessly said, Yugi shrugging as well.

" I-it looks like there are three doors.. M-maybe we should go on one?"

The whole group nodded. Yami took some die out of his pocket and rolled them. They rolled around on the floor for a bit before stopping at a multiple of 3. So door number 3 it was.

If they had picked door 2 it would of been fine. Perfectly fine.

They opened the 3rd door and all the other doors locked. One by one they walked into the room. Echoing noises. Laughter, talking, whispering.

Each noise ran through Yami's ears. They all felt like electric currents shocking Yami one by one by one. Each time more painful than the last.

His hands started shaking, which soon changed to his everything shaking. He couldn't stand. Collapsing down to the floor, he felt dizzy and sick and hopeless. He started breathing heavily, each laugh filled him with dread and agony.

" Yami!"

He heard calls of his name, the room faded to complete darkness. He started at his hands.

Those worthless hands.

' If I wasn't so stupid, so ridiculous.. This wouldn't have bothered me.'

' But it did'

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. The main character should be strong, and galiant. Brave and heroic. They should have a reason to lose hope! Well you see folks, he isn't like that. And I'm not that simple.

He was on the floor of the room - the floors still the purest black - twitching and shaking to himself. Thinking of things to calm himself down and gain control, but obviously if it were that easy he would of had it sorted by now.

The calls of his name were pointless.

Yugi gently lifted the shaken kid so he was sitting properly and placed his head close to his own.

" No one's laughing at you..."

Yugi smiled, Jounouchi being pointless in the back.

" They're all laughing.."

Yugi whispered as Yami was trying to breathe.

" They're all laughing at me."


	3. Monophobia

""Autophobia, or monophobia, is the fear of being alone. Being alone, even in a usually comforting place like home, can result in anxiety for people with this condition. People with autophobia feel they need another person or other people around in order to feel safe.""

Why, hello there.

It is me, **_the Author_**. I have returned to show you how these subjects are doing. I am sure they are doing even _'better'. _

A sombre whimper escaped Yami's lips. He was laying, pressed up against the white wall. His eyes fluttered open. He looked around and remembered where he was.

I, honestly, think it's pathetic that he even had the thought that the previous day was a dream. That is only something someone of weak structure would think. _I was (and still am) disappointed. _

"Hey, Yami!" Yami looked up at the blonde, who ran up to him. The NEET turned away, curled up and facing the wall.

"Are ya doin' any better?"

Yami scowled when he was asked that, but remained silent.

Yugi quietly sat down next to Yami. He was still holding that red motorcycle helmet that he carried around.

"You're okay now... "

He gently said, placing his hand on Yami's head and petting him.

The main character looked pathetic. His eyes were puffy and tearful and his face was red and flushed.

"We're going to go to another room" Yugi said, close to his ear, "Are you okay with that?"

Yami shook his head. That's kind of hapless. The helmet-welding child coaxed Yami into standing up.

It seemed that Yami's pulse jumped up when he held Yugi's hand.

"This door is a little different," Yugi stated, pointing towards the door with a green tag on it.

They should appreciate that room, took me _way_ longer than the other rooms to build.

It was longer by _at least_ an hour.

Jounouchi put his hands on the door. His face scrunched up,

" Seems like 'eres somethin' comin' through... Wind..!?"

His hazel eyes lit up. I really enjoyed that moment where he thought he'd seen hope.

Yugi put down his helmet for a moment and pressed his hands to the door too. Yami looked to the ground as he did the same.

" I-it feels... " Yami muttered," Artificial..."

Jou sighed and nodded, before turning to Yugi, "I've been meaning ta ask,"

Yugi met his gaze.

"What's with da bike helmet?"

The boy picked the helmet back up and held it close to his chest.

He smiled softly, "I need to return it, to my mother"

I had enough and force-opened the door with a button before the conversation got too personal. _I wouldn't want him talking about his family relations. _

The door swung open, it opened to luscious fields and soft grass. A small cottage sat on the hill, overlooking the view of two large doors. The 'sky' was still the normal white walls and ceilings. I wanted some form of cohesion.

There was also a metal fence that surrounded the borders.

Together, they walked through the gate. Jounouchi made a point to avoid touching the metal. Yami wiped his eyes and looked in confusion at the room. As they walked, there was a huge **slamming** noise.

The gate shut, trapping Yugi.

That's what he got for talking about his mother _so carelessly_, no family relations in this experiment. 

Yugi stared in shock for a few minutes. Tears welled in his eyes.

**_"Do.. Don't.. Leave me.." _**

Yugi reached out, his hand going through the gaps in the fence. He had a _twisted_ smile on his face.

"Hey! It's OK!" Jounouchi reassured Yugi, "We won't! We'll find something to open the gate! We'll be back!"

Yugi's eyes filled with dread. His pulse spiked as the two teens ran off into the hills, Yami lagging behind a little.

**_"No... No.. No.. No.."_**

Yugi's outstretched arm dropped, he felt the floor sway under his feet.

**_"No, no, no, no, no, no please, no, no..." _**

He noticed his voice fading.

I smiled.

Yugi surrendered, sitting on his knees on the white floor. He listened to the artificial blowing of wind as it grew louder, overtaking his senses. The boy's eyes dulled and he felt sick, dizzy and tired.

**_" They're... They're not coming back... They wanted to leave me.. I'm.. I'm meant to... I.." _**

He burst into tears, his breath growing faster and faster with each and every movement.

**_"I'm sorry for what I've done..." _**

He whispered, the world around him darkening.

Yugi was _numb_, he shook _violently_ and he choked, direly searching for air. He gave up, closing his eyes and letting everything leave him. He was freezing cold but his face red hot.

" Yugi!! We found pe-"

Jounouchi stopped, staring in shock. Yami caught up, panting heavily. He quickly brings himself to the floor and looked at Yugi.

"H-hey... H-hello??"

He reached his hand through and put it against the boy's face.

"Pass me the bar."

Yami's face turned completely serious, he didn't stutter or whimper. Something seemed to have clicked in his mind.

He snatched the bar from the blondes hands and tore it through the large keyhole, forcefully pulling the door open. I did the rest of the work for him, as it seemed like Yugi had failed.

Yugi was whispering that he was sorry to himself. The NEET picked him up, taking the bike helmet and passing it to Jounouchi.

"We need to take him inside."

Yami put the boy on his back and ran, still not used to so much exercise. Jou followed, confused about Yami's sudden change of heart.

Obviously I know about what happened. If I didn't, I wouldn't be a very good person for this job, **_would I? _**

Yami, Jounouchi and the spaced-out Yugi made their way to the cottage. Yami booted the door open and sat Yugi down on the soft, cushioned chair.

Three people immediately came and checked on what happened.

There was three girls. One had wavy blonde hair and piercing pink eyes. She wore heavy amounts of makeup and a showy outfit.

There was another, with short brown hair and a kind sounding voice, her name is _Masaki Anzu._

Then the third, a girl with long hazel hair. She had a blindfold over her eyes which she refused to take off. That is, until I got to her later on.

Her name is _Kawai Shizuka._

The blonde, _Kujaku Mai_, sat next to the boys, flirting her hair suggestively.

"This is the boy?" she honeyed. Jounouchi nodded, not saying another word.

"What happened to him?!" Shizuka asked, worried. Yami declared that he didn't know, asking if he could take Yugi to the bedroom to calm down and recover.

They allowed him, leaving the three girls and Jounouchi to their own business.

Yami lay Yugi in bed. He covered the petit boy with a velvety blanket and brushed his soft hair.

"I-I will.." Yami switched back to his usual, quiet self. He worked up the courage to speak.

I _mused_, watching the stats on my monitor as they jumped around. His heart was beating very quickly and he seemed calmer.

Yami breathed heavily. He wiped the sweat from the boy's face with a handkerchief. He smiled kindly.

_"I.. I will never l-leave you..alone..." _


	4. Spectrophobia

"" Spectrophobia is a fear of mirrors and one's own reflection. The phobia tends to stem from a traumatic event involving mirrors – perhaps the fear of apparitions or ghosts being in the mirror – or low self-esteem related to one's physical appearance.""

* * *

A pair of deep amethyst eyes fluttered open. Searching around, they stumbled upon the sight of their friend fast asleep next to them.

Yugi looked around for a while, confused about what happened. He was in a house, in a warm bed. However, it wasn't his house. And it wasn't his bed.

I truly believed Yami had been the most pathetic character of the bunch, thinking it was 'all a dream'. Yugi seemed to think he was rescued. **_RESCUED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!_**

It cracks me up thinking about it!

Yami soon woke up as well. He seemed very happy to see that Yugi was awake and well.

"What happened? Where am I?"

Yugi had asked unsurely, Yami shrugged, he responded extremely quietly,

"I-I don't know, really... We..we found a cottage and people... And.."

Yami gave a small squeal of fright as he was interrupted by the blonde haired idiot slamming the door open and hugging Yugi tightly.

"Hey Yug's! Are you doing better?"

Yugi nodded, he didn't remember what happened.

Yami helped Yugi get out of bed and everyone was gathered in the living room. It was small and I made sure to decorate it with plastic potted plants and cheap but natural looking things.

Sometimes having a break from the suffering is the salt to the wound.

Mai was busy twirling her hair around her finger. She had makeup caked on her face, which was surprising seeming as she never looks at herself. I was moderately impressed with that skill, which is why I supplied her with cheap makeup.

Stuff from the pound store, yknow?

The more I listened to the trivial talk the group had, the more I felt like falling asleep on the job and forgetting I ever started this project.

Not that I'm regretting this, it's still highly enjoyable watching people be scared of your creation.

"Hey, this sounds strange but.."

Shizuka spoke up, adjusting the blindfold which was still over her eyes,

"I think we need to go to the next room and..."

She trailed off. The girl felt over her wrist with her fingers, where a small red dot was glowing from under her skin.

"Why?" Anzu asked, brushing her short brown hair gently,

"They're watching us. We need to make a move.."

Everyone took a look at the red dot.

This dot was a peculiar dot.

Not to me, _obviously_.

It was the small light from an embedded chip. I jabbed it into everyone when they first came to this paradise.

This lets me see who is behaving and being a good boy or girl, and who's not.

Perfect isn't it?

Jounouchi looked at the dot suspiciously, not understanding its technological brilliance.

"I guess we have ta move then.."

No one seemed to want to leave, well, why would they?

They're in a perfectly warm and safe house and there isn't anything scary. However, they knew. They knew that my eyes were watching. They knew that they could be seen from all angles.

So they left. In hopes that I would not see them.

They inspected the two doors at the end of the room. One had a blue label and one didn't have a label.

"We shouldn't go to the one with that label..."

"Why?"

"It's suspicious..." Yugi mumbled, casually walking up and opening the other door.

There was a large, empty space. A moment of silence fell between the subjects. Concerned for what's to come, Anzu stood by Mai, who seemed confident and calm.

"What a bizarre room..."

Jounouchi looked around, being in front of the group. Yami shuffled behind him, followed by Yugi and the other girls.

"Wait--!" Anzu called out as they had reached the middle of the room, "Mai's acting weird..!"

Yugi urgently looked back to see what was going on.

Mai stared vacanctly at the room. The area was filled with her reflection. Or, as one would put it, mirrors with her reflection in it. Her eyes met with herself, seeing every little imperfection that was on her skin.

"Mai! Are you okay?!"

Jounouchi yelled in question. Mai, obviously, didn't respond. She just stared silently, feeling the coldness overtake her body.

I knew how to take out two birds with one stone.

After all it is the villains job to bully the main characters.

Except, I am **not** a villain.

I pressed a button on the control panel and watched the magic happen.

_Laughter_. I thought it would be a good way to compare the different reactions between two people. After all, the laughing will just add salt to the open, infected wounds.

The second the laughing started happening, both Yami and Mai dropped to their knees. The group split into two groups, those who checked on Yami and those who checked on Mai. A boy group and a girl group.

Mai slowly put her head on the ground. She didn't want to see anything anymore. She wanted to be like Shizuka, blind and unknowing to the world around her. Her heart beat rapidly, her breath caught onto itself and stopped her from breathing. All her fingers twitched and her hands trembled extremely. Anzu tried getting through to her, calling out her name and hugging her tightly, but nothing went through.

She looked over to the group watching over Yami. He was grabbing into Yugi's chest and screaming to himself, this sound muffled by Yugi's white jumper.

"I should never have gone outside... I'm so _stupid_... _Weak_... I should just...!"

He burst out into tears, covering his ears and trying to control his breathing. He gasped and called for air, shaking _violently_ and holding Yugi as he tried to calm him down.

" They're not laughing at you! Look , no one's even here but us! "

" **WHAT IF THERE ARE PEOPLE WATCHING US?!** _What if... What if.. What if... They're..."_

Yugi gently petted him and hummed to calm him, like a child..

"Yug's good at calming him down." Jounouchi stated, walking over to Anzu, "She might be a different story though."

Anzu was kneeling down. She hugged her friend tightly as Mai cried about how she looked and felt and how she couldn't breathe.

"Mai... You're not ugly you... You're the most beautiful person I know, inside and out."

Anzu smiled, she looked into her eyes as Mai picked her head up.

"Let's get you out of here..."

Anzu beamed, helping her up and making sure she couldn't see anything. She still struggled to breathe, shaking and crying.

The three girls in the group made their way to the only exit at the end of the room. Slowly, the other half of the group followed behind, gently ushering Yami into the next room.

I turned off the sound intercom to give them a moment to breathe. There's no point in 'researching' with subjects if the subjects are overwhelmed and overexerted.

See? I have a heart!

Yugi gently lay Yami down on the pure white ground. Anzu slammed the door shut and returned to the group.

"Are they okay?"

Shizuka spoke up, sitting on the floor and tightening her bandaging that covered her eyes.

"I think so," Jounouchi smiled, looking down at the two people who were just calming down.

Yami was still clinging to Yugi's chest, begging to go home to himself, knowing it would do nothing.

Mai looked up, hands still shaking, she reached out and took Jounouchi's hand.

"Are you gonna help me up or not?"

"Yeah yeah, your majesty"

The two blondes laughed as he helped her up.

"You doin' okay?"

"Yeah..I think. "

"Dats good."

I noticed how small of a reaction her's was. Maybe I needed something bigger to snap her into a episode?

"Let's rest here for a bit" Yugi smiled, taking his motorcycle helmet and checking all of the screens and shells.

Everyone agreed, sitting around in a circle and chatting.

"Hey! What were you guy's homes like?" Anzu giggled, in a gossipy mood even after what happened.

The second Yugi looked up, still holding his helmet, and started talking, I knew...

_I knew that I messed up. _


	5. Odynophobia

"" Odynophobia is the fear of pain. The origin of the word odyn is Greek (meaning pain) and phobia is Greek (meaning fear). This is an abnormal phobia and is said to be stemmed from a memory in the subconscious."

* * *

**I fucked up.**

Yugi was talking about his home life as the others listened sympathetically.

" My dad drank a lot and was arrested when I was little.. I think my mum didn't like that.. She hurt me a lot but.. She's really kind when you understand her! "

They shouldn't know this.

_No, no, no, no!! _

They don't need to know about this!!

I stood up, out of the swivel chair that I practically lived in, and looked around the empty room for a moment.

How dare he talk of her like that.

How _trivial_. How _pathetic_.

"This is her helmet. I want to give it back to her!"

Yugi giggled. He showed the red helmet proudly. I hated him more with every word. I wanted to spit on him and beat the shit out of him.

"Oh.." Anzu smiled softly, "That's kinda sad.."

"I didn't realise you had that kind of life, Yug'" Jounouchi added. Yugi shook his head and insured that everyone else talked about their own lives now.

Yami remained silent the entire time, ignorung everyone when they asked about him.

"We've gotten some rest.. Want to try a new room?"

Mai quietly suggested, everyone else hesitantly a nodding and getting up.

They made their way to the two doors.

I knew for a fact that they'd be safe. I didn't want them to die of fear, yknow?

The group of people opened the next 5 sets of doors, each time talking more and more and more.

"Yami, ye've been quiet." Jounouchi laughed, hitting Yami's back playfully and making him scowl.

The teen sighed, "I just..don't like to talk about my life "

Jounouchi asked why, only getting silence from the other. They kept on waking for hours, not giving up. I didn't want to put any more environments than I needed, so every room they were in was white.

Perfectly consistent and clean!

Anzu stopped everyone suddenly,

"There's a third door here!"

Everyone, except for Shizuka, looked over to the large, looming door with a little blue mark.

Finally.

They're getting somewhere.

Yugi ran up to the door and opened it quietly, everyone else fearful for whatever would be behind this 'mysterious' door.

There, laying behind this mythical mystery, was another white room!!

Wow!

Shizuka sat down, beggine very one else for a break as her legs hurt. Puny child.

Jounouchi sat down next to her and chatted to her about otiose folderol.

The other four looked around the room. Yami loiteted against ont of the cubes, pushing it into the wall and pressing a little button behind it.

"Huh?!"

Yami jumped back, falling to the floor. Sets of clamps loudly snapped onto everyone's legs, fastening them to the floor.

I had made this setup for a certain person on this room!

I'm surprised the plan worked so well, really. I didn't think they'd be so stupid that they'd get clamped that easily.

It makes me laugh.

Jounouchi bit his lip and stayed completely still. His hand reached out and held Shizuka's, who was confused as to what was going on.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm -"

Yami cried, Yugi yelling from another part of the room telling him that it's okay.

It isn't okay!!

Obviously it isn't okay!

I flipped open the translucent lid and pressed the 4th button in the container that always sat on the desk next to my monitors.

A large chain linked onto the clamps of three people, Jounouchi, Shizuka and Yugi.

Shizuka squealed, keeping her covered up eyes to the ground.

"Wha...!"

Yugi squirmed, hanging upside down from his leg.

Jounouchi didn't speak, I'm closer inspection, he didn't move at all, just limply dangled.

"Hey!! Guys! Are you okay?!"

Yugi and Shizuka confirmed so, but Jounouchi remained silent. LThe clamps tightened, I could see their heart rate speed up quickly and harshly.

Especially Jounouchi's. It raced quickly, just like his breath.

I pressed the button again and again and again.

The clamps tightened around their legs and arms, making them scream and wreathed in pain. I laughed loudly, smacking my hand against the table.

It was rather enjoyable watching them suffer.

I was stopped by a man who came in because of the noise. He told me that, and I quote,

"It's against the authorised experimental policy to perform straight out torture. Calm down."

Useless.

The lot of em.

He released the clutches, making everyone drop to the ground. Yugi was crying his eyes out, hugging Anzu and talking about how dizzy he was. Unlike the others, who immediately expressed their relief for being released, Jounouchi just layed limply on the ground.

"Are you...okay?" Mai knelt down to him and pulled away his golden strands of hair.

"He passed out... Guys! He's passed out!"

Mai yelled, looking back to the group, whi gathered around and tried to wake him up.

His eyes slowly opened, jumping at the sight of the people gathered around him and screaming.

"Hey! Hey... Calm down.."

Mai placed her hand on his head and shushed.

Jounouchi shook his head quickly, which got a chuckle out of me.

"You're fine.. Come on, look, I'll carry you."

Mai waited for the idiot to respond before gently lifting him onto her back.

I wasn't expecting this development! I hate it. I hate this development.

Shizuka was slowly lead to the door by Anzu, who looked back to the pathetic 'main character', who was busy talking quietly to Yugi. The petite teen looked around frantically, asking where 'it' was and whimpering.

He picked up the spherical helmet and cried quietly,

"The main screen broke.."

The blonde sitting stop Mai's back whispered quietly, making her speak up.

"It's cheap to get those replaced. Let's go, when we get out of here I'll pay for a new screen."

They both smiled and, after being called by Anzu, left to the next room.

They stepped foot into the next room, and then..

**_Everything went black _**


	6. Chorophobia

"Chorophobia is the fear of dancing and is something that, unfortunately, even alcohol can't fix. It also manifests itself into a fear of any situation, event or person that is associated with dancing. The phobia is usually associated with social phobias – particularly fear of crowds"

* * *

Anzu called out, fearfully. Around her, everyone was collapsed, face-first on the ground. Now that she looked at it, the ground of this room was weird.

It was wooden and polished.

On second look, _why was there a red curtain?_

And a _big, scary looking machine that loomed **feet** over her head?_

Anzu shook her head, when she entered the room moments earlier, it didn't look like this! It was white and..normal at this point!

This would be the point where you'd try and run, right?

She didn't. She didn't even try.

"Why won't they wake up... I'm not leaving without them!"

She declared to nobody.

I mean, they don't know _I_ exist~

**"Good luck out there, Miss Masaki."**

She snapped her head to the side, staring in shock as a little cardboard cutout wheeled their way over to her.

The speaker on the cardboard spoke,

**"Do not fail this performance. It is the most important of your life."**

Anzu stayed silent, feeling small and suddenly really cold.

She could hear cheering slowly playing outside, quietly, and as it grew louder, her anxiety grew harsher, more intense.

The cardboard cutout pushed Anzu backwards, into the machine. The little cuffs clipped in and tightened.

**"Break a leg."**

It took me longer to get that machine than it did to build the damn rooms. Do you know how long it takes to deliver from China?!

The curtains slowly pulled over and made her heart stop.

She recognised this scene.

There was a crowd of cardboard cutouts. In the crowd, there were some desks with potted flowers wilting sadly.

The petals fell to the floor one by one.

Anzu screamed,

"No! No, no, no, no, no!!! I'm not doing this again I-!! I'm never! No!!!"

The machine ran, moving her arms and legs in time to the music. Everyone cheered. She started crying, shaking her head violently and refusing to do this again.

"NO!!"

She tried to struggle free, but soon froze in place.

Because, she fell.

The machine released her and pushed her off the little stage, making her fall to the ground and hurt her leg from landing on it.

Everyone laughed loudly, screaming with laughter. One by one, trahs started being thrown at her, each of the throwers making a new, insulting comment.

**_"Wouldn't want a fat bitch to do Broadway anyways!"_****_"I knew she was gonna fall!"_****_"Dumb kid, she'd never make it in the dance world."_**

Cameras flashed.

She felt so shaky. So numb. So sick. Anzu sat up and immediately threw up all over the wooden floor.

Rude.

Her breathing sped up quickly, her hands sweating intensely and tears rushing down her face.

" I'm never doing this again... NEVER...!"

She screamed, as everyone else continued to laugh.

She put her head in her arms, her soft brown hair drooping down and soaking up the wet tears.

"Anzu..?!"

Someone's voice called from behind the curtain. They held the red curtain and slowly made their way to the messy figure on the floor. They stuck to the wall, before finishing their way to her and kneeling down and asking if she was okay.

"No... I'm not okay...I'm dying... I... Everyone... But.. I.. You..."

The other placed their hand on the others head and gently pet them.

"Shh, I don't know what happened, but you are not dying. You are okay. I'm here for you."

Anzu looked up and the girl, the small, pretty, bandaged girl.

"I'm so worthless..."

"No you're not! If it weren't for you, I'd never have been able to get around here!"

Shizuka giggled, hugging Anzu quickly and, after realising her, handing her a handkerchief.

"Let's go.."

She smiled, Anzu nodding and standing up.

I'll admit.

They're strong girls.

Good on them.

**"Miss Masaki."** the cardboard cutout from before spoke, **" You completely failed. I am sorry but, get out of my sight."**

Anzu whimpered, looking down again and receiving comfort from Shizuka.

"How did we get here?"

Anzu asked after taking a moment to breathe. Shizuka shrugged, saying that she didn't know where she was because she couldn't see.

_Smartass_.

The brunette kicked the cardboard cutout down and slowly ran over to the group of people who were still collapsed on the ground.

Anzu and Shizuka knelt down and started trying to wake them up. The only response they got out of it was a clear visual discomfort from Yami, but it was obvious that it wasn't because of them.

I needed an excuse to test those drugs!

I was glad they worked so well!

"What do we do.. They're not waking up.. What happened??"

"I don't kno--"

I let the little machines inject the drug into their arms again.

I was bored. So, very bored.

They fell to the ground after a moment of weakness, holding each others hands tightly.

What pitiful friendship.

After a moment, their body's were all transferred to the next room via the employees I asked ever so kindly.

They lay, limply on the ground. The camera zoomed out and showed the entire, empty room.

The group probably hoped that, once they woke up, they would be nice and happy.

But no,

I'm not gonna release them that easily.

One of Boss's main man's came into my monitoring room and told me that I should go home sometimes and that the funding for this is slowly going down.

I didn't care.

This is almost nearing the finale.

_So close. _

_I'm so, so close.. _

**To reaching the goal I wanted.**


	7. Optophobia

"Optophobia is the fear of opening one's eyes. "

* * *

Everyone woke up.

It had been days, and I had to get the employees to give them water and food so they wouldn't die.

The group looked around in confusion, what happened? One moment they were walking to the next place, then next they're collapsed in the ground!

A pair of crimson eyes fluttered open. Sleepily, he groaned and yawned.

"Yami... Wake up.."

Yugi whispered gently, making him slowly pull himself up.

"Hmmn..."

He muttered, rubbing his eyes and looking around.

Anzu and Shizuka woke up and smiled at each other, whispering in each others ears without anyone noticing.

"Okay! We must've fallen asleep!"

Mai stood up proudly,

"Now that we've gotten some rest, I say we continue walking!"

She flipped her hair and put her hands on her hips, expressively.

"Before that.." Shizuka said quietly, standing up. "I need to tell you guys something."

Everyone looked up at her in confusion. Even I was confused!

"Nothing has happened to me yet. I think I understand this formula."

She smiled, twirling a long strand of hair around her soft fingers.

"So, I'm going to tell you what I'm afraid of."

She gleamed, hiding the fear behind her charming smile.

I slammed my hand down on the desk.

What was she thinking?!

Pudden-headded nobody!!

She put her hands down and held them tightly.

"I'm afraid of... Afraid of..."

Her voice grew quiet,

"Opening my eyes..."

Red flushed her cheeks, her body temperature rising.

Everyone looked up at her, Mai speaking up first.

" Thank you for telling us. You're so brave doing that."

Shizuka perked up, meanwhile, I perked down.

Yami nibbled at his fingernails and spoke in a quiet tone, "We'll...um...we'll try and prote..."

He trailed off, Jounouchi finishing his sentence,

"We'll protect you, Shizuka!"

Yami looked down, embarrassed, Anzu slowly approaching him and talking him that he did really well.

"Let's...leave then.."

Yami smiled, everyone nodding and making their way to the next set of doors. They chose the left door.

Fuck. Why couldn't it have been the right one?

They kept picking the wrong answers I.. I didn't want this!

They all stuck close together, charring about worthless shit.

"I...ah..I actually never...never.."

Yami mumbled, being coaxed into talking by Anzu and Yugi,

"I never left the house...before this.."

His face turned red again.

"I'll probably...not leave...when we get out of this..."

Yugi smiled," You're doing really well!"

Yami looked proud. I don't know where this sudden shyness came from. I watched on, getting increasingly angry.

Every single room that was meant to scare them was walked through. Without break, they kept walking.

"We will get out!" Mai gleamed.

"What if we can't get out..." Yami whined, making Mai turned to him confidently, "Then we break out!"

I rolled my eyes,

This is going to go on forever.

The no-eyed girl grew more anxious as nothing happened to her, fearful that she was going to have to experience something soon. She hugged into Anzu's arm and received the comfort she needed. Anzu let Shizuka piggyback on her, making the other people in the group curious as to why they were suddenly so, extremely close.

Shizuka talked more about what made her scared and thanked everyone for helping her.

Whatever.

No. It's been way too long since somethings happened.

'I need to do something.'

So

I did do something.

I slipped my leather jacket on and took my bag. The staircase to go down to the rooms were long and tedious. It spiraled down endlessly. Nonetheless I kept on going until I reached the door. The rooms really were more spacious than I thought they were, and I was the one who built them!

"When we get out, let's all go for ice cream!" Shizuka giggled, making Yami flinch.

Jounouchi grinned, "Sure! I'm gonna get chocolate!"

"Chocolate? Why not Choco-Mint? That's obviously the best!"

"Lame"

They talked as if they were going to get out.

Never.

Never.

No, they're never getting out.

Never ever forever.

Fuck this.

I grabbed Shizuka from behind, covering her mouth and dragging her back. The rest of the group looked back and screamed.

"Hey! Give her back! Shizuka!"

Jounouchi yelled, running towards me.

I put my hand against her eyes and grinned.

"Get any closer and I'll take it off."

Everyone stopped, watching in worry. I laughed and laughed to the point where my voice broke into a million tiny pieces.

Yami whimpered, "Are.. You the one behind this..."

I didn't answer. Yugi took a hesitant step forward. Making me inch my hand closer to her eyes.

"No!"

Yugi yelled, stamping his foot down into the ground. I stopped. Why did I stop?

My hands froze and I dropped her to the ground. For a moment, I listened to Shizuka's attempts to catch her breath.

"Why'd she stop?" Jounouchi whispered to Yugi, who walked up to me and pointed a finger at my face.

"How dare you?! "

I stepped back.

"You think you can just push me and my friends around like this?! Huh?! "

I shook my head. I didn't believe it. I wasn't being bad I was protecting them! I was saving them! If it weren't for me they'd be still living their miserable lives! I gave them something!

"You're not getting in my way! Ever again!! "

Why did this effect me so much?

I didn't care about being bad, why did I stop?!

I could've done something!

"Go back to where you came from!"

Yugi said abruptly, before quietly whispering something to me.

"I love you."

Why did he say that?

Why does he love me?

I took the button from my bag and pressed it, injecting the drug into everyone's arms and watching as they all fell.

That...didn't turn out how I wanted, I won't lie.

I only had one more usage left of the drug, before all of it was gone and I wouldn't be able to drug them anymore.

Before leaving, I look my boot and drove it into Yugi's chest repeatedly. I could hear him gasping for breath as I twisted my heel into his stomach and laughed.

But then I stopped.

Was this really the way to go?

_He really did love me, didn't he? _


	8. Phobophobia

"Phobophobia. Phobophobia is the fear of phobias and, more specifically, of the internal sensations associated with that phobia and anxiety, which binds it closely to other anxiety disorders, especially with generalized anxiety disorders"

* * *

Everything was silent.

The group started waking up again, but the room was still silent.

Yugi sat in the corner with his knees tucked into his chest, deep in thought.

The aftermath was horrible.

He loved me?

No, I'm sure he didn't.

Yami, after waking up, crawled over to Yugi and sat next to him.

"Are... You okay..?"

Yami asked, Yugi not reacting and just thinking to himself.

The usually very empty feeling white rooms seemed emptier. It seemed cold.

What did I do wrong?

Yami hesitantly put his arm around the other's shoulder.

"What...happened?"

"Hm? Did you say something?"

Yugi looked up to Yami, eyes meeting. The NEET turned away and shook his head.

He softly spoke, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

The group fell silent again, everyone sitting on the floor in pairs and going over with themselves what happened.

There wasn't any point in doing anything for a moment.

"Come, let's go to the next area..!"

Mai gave a smile to the group and ran to the door as everyone slowly picked themselves up.

Yami slowly took Yugi's hand and lead him to the door. He leant over and quietly whispered in the petite boy's ear,

"You.. You can explain once we get moving... Okay?"

Yugi looked up, giving a tiny nod and bringing his gaze to the floor. His heart rate was fast and he sweated from his palms.

The door opened to yet another white room.

I'll be honest, I counted how many white rooms I made and I don't think I made enough! There are only 4967 rooms! That is way too little!

Oh what am I doing.

I shouldn't be doing this right now.

Yugi looked towards the ceiling soon after and quietly started talking.

"I'm sorry.."

"What's 'ere to be sorry 'bout?" Jounouchi grinned, going against the gloomy atmosphere of the group.

The little boy whimpered, "If I didn't break that helmet.. They wouldn't have.."

What the actual fuck was he talking about?

As they passed, room by room, the group slowly got more anxious about what was coming.

'When would there be another bad room? '

They walked for what felt like days, even if it was only a few hours. Yami looked back, he had lost the grip on Yugi's hand and wanted to see if he was okay.

"Guys.. Stop.."

Yami muttered, running back and staring down to the ground.

Mai and Anzu asked what was wrong, running over too.

A small, huddled figure on the ground. It appears the pain from booting him in the chest with my heels have finally caught up with him! Hell yeah!

He gasped and tho bed in all of his joints, the large red marks where I kicked pulsated and ached violently. Everyone knelt over and tried to see what was wrong.

Mai rolled the boy's shirt up and gently lined the marks with her finger.

"Damn it! We don't have anything to treat it.."

"What's wrong with him?" Shizuka worriedly murmured, listening as Mai explained.

She pulled the blonde strands of hair out of her eyes and sighed, "He's been hit real bad on his chest. It hurts like hell, I'll tell you that much."

She paused,

"Where did he get this injury?"

Under normal circumstances, I would pass down some painkillers from the little tube in the ceiling. However, Yugi didn't deserve that.

It is your fault for this, Yugi.

Fuck you.

But, when I look closer, he looked so sad.

As they sat him up against the corner, the rolled-up shirt falling down and covering his scrawny chest, he gave a saddened look. He seemed so lonely and...pitiful.

Why am I sympathising with him?!

He doesn't even deserve sympathy.

Yugi slowly began talking.

"When... I was li.. Little..."

He gasped, finding his breath,

"My.. Dad was.. Arrested.."

He bit onto his quivering lip and tried to make his voice not break.

"My... Mum.. Only saw me.. As him.. And I.. Felt so alone.."

Everyone listened. Yes, even me. I wanted to hear what he was going on about this time.

"But... I still loved her.."

Little beads of water piled up at the bottom eyelid, just waiting to fall and roll down his cheek.

Anzu sat next to him and gently asked, "Why did you?"

"Because.. She still loved me.. Somewhere in.. Theat heart of hers.."

He cuddled the little red helmet, reading it against his chest and putting pressure on the marks.

I searched frantically for anything to stop him from talking.

Nothing would work!

Why didn't any of the buttons work?!

None of them were..

Working..

"That's why.. They probably.. Did.."

Yugi trailed off. He dipped his head silently and tried to whisper the rest. His chest really hurt, he couldn't keep talking because of it.

"Yugi.! What's wrong?!"

Anzu gave him a soft shake, Yugi opening his again and wincing.

"It...hurts.."

He started quietly crying. He pulled and his sleeves and recieved the comfort from everyone in the group, except Jounouchi who looked away from the injury.

Yami stumbled over to him, giving him a tiny hug. The boy's head rested against his chest, making Yami nervous.

"Let's.. Re.. Rest here.."

Yami suggested, letting Yugi make himself comfortable.

"He wouldn't be able to walk much anyways.."

The group agreed, going off to their preferred pairs and chatting amongst themselves.

Yugi looked so lonesome, sleeping on the cold, hard ground.

Somewhere inside of me, I had wished I could give him a blanket or a bed or something but..

He doesn't deserve that!

No one in this group deserves that!

They're all good-for-nothings who can't even live for themselves!

They're useless!

All of them!

But, as I stood up and chucked my chair across the room, I realised.

Do they deserve this treatment?

Of course they do!

That's an easy question!

If it wasn't for me, they'd all be lazing around in bed or gambling their moneys away at a casino whilst dressed in criminally revealing clothes!

Or maybe even going to school and crying whenever someone tried to laugh or rip their fucking bandage of their eyes!!

Or better yet, locking themselves away from society and relying on your friends like the mould that you are!

Yeah!

This is good for them!

Byt partaking in this experiment, they're helping society!

They're helping!

They're not.. Being worthless..

Jounouchi approached the pair in the corner, Yugi and Yami. He wanted to ask Yami if the other was okay and if he needed anything.

However, he couldn't, because they were both fast asleep in the corner, hugging into the only warmth left in the room.

I had finally found the button I wanted.

They could freeze to death and I wouldn't care.

"It's suddenly gotten real cold in 'ere" Jounouchi stated, looking to the others, who shivered.

Anzu spoke up through shudders, "Maybe we should move?"

"We can't they're sleepin'"

Jounouchi pointed to the two on the floor and sighed.

Mai scooted her way to the two and picked up Yami, Yugi falling to the floor gently, "Someone take the little kid. We're going. Jesus, how can they sleep in this cold?!"

Anzu took Yugi, who was freezing cold to the point where everything was numb to him.

"Guys. We 'ave a problem 'ere!"

The blonde kicked and pushed at the door.

It didn't budge.

I was confused, why didn't it open?

I didn't lock the door, did I?

Then it hit me.

The door was frozen shut.

Mai dropped to her knees, Yami sliding off her back and limply laying on the floor.

"Tis is 'ere.. We die then.."

Jounouchi whispered, feeling all warmth slowly drain out of his body. Shizuka cried, filling the room with the sounds of distress.

I stopped.

I don't know what came over me.

My hand pressed the button and stopped it from freezing over.

Yugi woke up from the sound of crying. He gave small, weak smile and whispered to himself,

"Please help us... I love you.."

He slipped his fingers into prayer hands, which was weird because I know for a fact none of the people where were religious.

"Mo...ther..."

I dropped everything.

There was something warmand wet pouring down my face. I placed my fingers over the stream and realised that..

I was crying.

A wave of guilt hit me. And, as everyone in that group warmed up, I knew what I had to do.

The button with the little black label was pressed by me, slowly pushing the last of the drug into their arms.

I walked down long staircase again. Out of the boy's arms, I took the helmet and slipped a folded piece of paper into his pocket.

Before leaving the downstairs, I gave a small wave goodbye to the test subjects and found myself standing against the roof fencing of the Kaiba Corporation's building.

"What are you doing?"

One of the employees asked, watching as I took off my shoes and looked back.

"The experiment failed. Kaiba says that 'If you lose a game its like losing a life'. I have no pride left."

"Don't do it"

I ignored him, taking my notebook out and writing my final entry to this wretched journal.

And then,

**I jumped. **


	9. -Signed, The Author (After Story)

_' huh... Where.. Am I..? '_

The boy's eyes opened. His crimson pupils focused on the two people sitting in front of him. He was so warm, a thick blanket covering his freezing body.

"I'm so glad..!"

A young, fluffy haired girl said through tears, hugging Yami tightly. The other person smiled, giving Yami a thumbs up and gave him a gentle pet,

"Welcome back, Yami"

Yami looked up blankly.

'What happened?'

He thought to himself.

It was as if the white rooms didn't exist.

This room was one he knew. Very well. The little wooden shelves with games piled on top and which hosed some figures of characters he liked, the desk and chair in the corner with a 3 monitor setup and a warm, cosy bed with soft pillows and a welcoming mattress.

His room.

"What... Happened...?"

Yami groaned, picking himself up and feeling the ache in his arm.

Mana and Atem, the two people, looked at each other and shrugged,

"You just disappeared! It's been months... Where were you..??"

Yami opened his kith to speak, but decided against it.

He didn't want to think about anything for the time being.

"C'mon Mana, well leave you be, Yami. Get some rest."

Atem pulled the girl away from Yami's bed using her white hood. His tanned hand gave one more thumbs up before shutting the door behind him.

"I'm glad to be back.."

Yami mumbled, feeling his eyelids close again and letting himself fall asleep.

* * *

"It's only been a week and you've already gotten back to routine, I see."

Atem smiled, watching Yami intensely play an FPS game. He scruffed up Yami's hair and quietly added on,

"You'll have to speak with the po' soon. I'll talk for you if you wa-"

"No.. I can do it.."

Yami looked up and smiled, sniping another player in the game.

"You must be sick! No way you'd willingly talk to a stranger like that!"

The teen put the controller down and stood up, swivelling his chair around beforehand so he faced his brother. He gave him a tight hug and whimpered.

"I really missed you.."

"Me too..."

Atem putted back, wrapping his arms around his beloved brother and only separating when the questioners came into the room and requested for Yami.

Yami explained everything to the police, giving them as much detail as possible without panicking and being anxious.

"You did real well, buddy."

They smiled, taking the notes they had written and left. For the rest of the day, Yami stayed in the living room with Mana and Atem. Which they found weird because he never used to do that.

"Now for some more shocking news, an employee and Kaiba Corporation has been found dead two days ago. Her body was found impaled by the fencing, along with her shoes on the roof and a red motorcycle helmet. Investigators suggest that this was a suicide, but no one knows for sure. "

The news droned on. Yami pointed to the ID photo that was shown and said," I've seen her before "

" Really? Where? "

" Hm? In the white room. "

The two teens stared at Yami blankly, before continuing to watch the news as if no one ever spoke a word.

"Mana. I want to... I want to go outside."

Yami peeked out of the door to his bedroom. It had been 2 weeks since he woke up and he had been recoverung well.

Mana looked shocked, dropping the glass she was holding and letting its contents spill out onto the floor," Wait! Really?!"

He nodded, taking his phone out and looked dearly at the message.

[ Meet at the ice cream parlor! Be there or be square! ]

"ATEM!! YAMI WANTS TO GO OUTSIDE!"

"No fuckin' way!"

Atem ran out of his room, suitcase still in hand. He was packing to fly to Egypt again.

Yami looked shyly away from the two, "So... Can I...?"

"Yes! Yes! Of course! Get dressed!"

Mana excitedly laughed, promptly apologising when Yami flinched.

He pulled on his grey trousers and blue jacket, slipped his headphones around his neck and stood near the open front door.

"It's just one step!"

Mana grinned, holding her hands out to him.

He reached his foot out and stepped outside. The person next door to them congratulated him, saying that he did well.

He felt warm and happy.

The teen held onto Mana's arm, letting her walk him down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.

He quickly messaged back,

[I'm going, I'm going. Meet you there.]

He explained to the brunette who he was messaging, and let her lead him to where he wanted to go.

The birds tweeted cheerfully as they walked down the stone pathways. Each building was tall and built to perfection. The decorative trees stood tall, reaching out to the sky and spreading their twiggy fingers up to the sun.

"It's ... It's so warm..." Yami whispered, squeezing onto the girls arm everytime he heard people.

He had the fear, in the back of his mind, that they would start laughing at him and pointing fingers at him, like what happened in the white room.

But they didn't.

They just minded their own business and kept walking, not even looking his way.

The sound of charring grew louder as the colourful building gre nearer. There was a little plastic statue of an ice cream outside the stairs up to the patio. The wooden-floored patio was lined with little sets of tables and chairs. He found it welcoming.

"Yami!"

Someone called out, Yami and Mana looked to who was making the noise, Anzu.

Yami looked to his firned, before releasing his grip on her arm. He approached the group and quietly said hi, being greeted with the love he had always wanted to see.

He had finally found his friends.

"What do you wanna order? I'll pay!"

Mai flicked her shiny blonde hair and grinned.

"Ah! No.. I'll pay.."

Yami smiled, they insisted against each other for another 2 minutes until Yugi broke them up by saying he'd pay instead.

For the first time in years,

Yami laughed.

Mana looked on in shock, she was so proud of him. She sat on a different table and ordered some ice cream, letting Yami do his own thing.

Once the group had their orders, Yugi took something out of his pocket. He was sitting close to Yami, to the point where they were practically hugging.

"I found this note when I woke up. I haven't read it yet.."

"Le's read it!" Jounouchi cheered, Shizuka giving a quick nod. She had her bandages off, revealing her beautiful brown eyes. She wasn't scared anymore.

Yugi huddled closer to Yami and opened the note up. Slowly, they read the note, a single tear falling down Yugi's face. They read it..

_And marked the end of their journey._

* * *

**_"Thank you, for everything, my dearest, most precious son._**

・

**_I've put you and your new friends though a lot, I am truly sorry for that._****_I was so neglectful... But, I am glad you have finally found friends, and someone who will hold you whenever things get rough..._**

・

**_Why am I writing this down?_****_Because hops that one day, you can see my thanks._**

・

**_The world is scary, but there will always be people who will help comfort you.._****_I wish I was one of those people, but I am not._**

・

**_I always thought of one person as the 'Main character'. But, that isn't true. Everyone is the 'Main Character' of their own story. Be a strong one, be a strong 'Main Character '._**

・

**_Fear will fade away someday._****_You are never alone, my son._**

・

**_I love you, so, so much.. I wish you the best, Yugi._**

・

**_Thank you,_**

・

**_For reading my final words,_**

・

**_Thank you for reading,_**

・

**_Phobophobia_**

**_\- Signed, the Author. "_**


End file.
